1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solid state drive (SSD) tester, and more particularly to an SSD tester which reduces the size of the tester and easily changes a function without changing hardware (H/W) by implementing a plurality of devices for testing an SSD as one chip using a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA).
2. Description of the Related Art
Until now, hard disk drives (HDDs) have been most generally known and used as large capacity digital media storage devices. However, in recent years, as prices of NAND flash semiconductor devices, which can store the largest capacity among semiconductor devices having a memory function and data stored therein are not erased even when electric power is not supplied, are being lowered, large capacity digital medial storage apparatus such as solid state drives (SSDs) using a semiconductor having a memory function are newly appearing.
Writing and reading speeds of such an SSD are 3 to 5 times as fast as those of existing hard disks, and its performance of reading/writing an random address required by a database management system is several hundreds of times as excellent as those of existing hard disks. In addition, an SSD is operated in a silent way, so a noise problem of an existing hard disk can be solved. Further, since the SSD is operated with power consumption significantly lower than that of a hard disk, the SSD is known as to most suitable for a digital device, such as a laptop computer, which requires low power consumption.
In addition, the SSD has a higher durability against an external impact than an existing hard disk, and as the SSD can be manufactured to be smaller and more various in shape as compared with a hard disk having a fixed form in terms of an external design, an external shape of an electronic product employing the SSD can be made smaller, showing many excellent advantages in its applications.
Due to its advantages, it is expected that distributions of SSDs can be expanded rapidly to searches, home shopping, storage media of video service servers, storage media for storing various R&D materials, and special equipment, as well as existing desktop computers or laptop computers.
As a scheme of testing the above-described SSD, an SSD tester according to the related art is illustrated in FIG. 1.
The SSD tester according to the related art shown in FIG. 1 includes a host terminal 10, a network 20, a communication interface unit 30, a memory 40, a micro processor 50, a storage interface unit 60, and a storage unit 70. The storage interface unit 60 includes a plurality of storage interfaces 61˜60+n. The storage unit 70 includes a plurality of storages 71˜70+N, and respective storage interfaces perform the same function. In the above described SSD tester according to the related art, each unit is provided as a separate device.
The network 20 maintains a wired/wireless network connection with the host terminal 10. The network 20 may be network-connected to the host terminal 10 through wired communication such as LAN, USB, or RS-232, and wireless local area communication such as Bluetooth, Zigbee, or UWB.
A user inputs a test condition through the host terminal 10, and the input test condition is received through the network and is transferred to the micro processor 50 through the communication interface unit 30 of a next stage.
The micro processor 50 generates a test pattern for testing the storage associated with the memory 40 according to the transferred test condition. The test pattern may be implemented by various test patterns which are widely used for testing an SSD and various storages.
The micro processor 50 controls test of the storage 70 using the generated test pattern. For example, the micro processor 50 generates a test signal based on the test pattern and transmits the test signal to the storage 70 through the storage interface unit 60 so that test of the storage 70 may be controlled.
The storage interface unit 60 maintains interface with the storage 70. The storage interface unit 60 performs Serial-ATA (SATA) with the storage 70.
However, in the related art as illustrated above, since a communication interface, a micro processor, a memory, and an SATA interface being a technical configuration for testing an SSD are connected and operated as separate devices, the size of a board is increased, power consumption is high, and heat is generated.
Particularly, in a case where the SSD tester is implemented by a plurality of separate devices, to test a storage of another interface other than an SATA interface when testing the storage, a previously developed board cannot be used but a board using another interface (for example, PCIe, SAS) must be newly developed.